Clasp or buckle.



' G. P. SPANGLER.

CLASP 0B BUCKLE. AP'rLIoATIoNrILEn MAY 5, 1910;'

Patented ocf1s,191o.

l .uulllIIWAlllll Mfness .ye Nonms PETERS co., wnsmnnmn. n. c4

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE P. SPANGLER, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

CLASP 0R BUCKLE.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE P. SPANGLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Clasps or Buckles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to clasps or buckles, or similar adjustable connection and att-achment devices; and it has for its object to provide improvements with relation thereto which will be superior in point of positiveness in operation, convenience in use and manipulation, facility in installation or connection, and disconnection, with respect to working position, relative simplicity and inexpensiveness in construction and general eiiciency.

The invention has for its particular objects the provision of an improved clasp or buckle which will be more sightly in appearance and more conveniently manipulated, in service, than are devices of the same general character now customarily employed; and the use of which is attended by less injury to the belt or other device or object in connection with which it is employed.

The invention consists in the novel provision, construction, formation, combination and association of parts, members and features all as hereinafter described, shown in the drawing, and finally pointed out in claim.

In the drawing :-Figure 1 is a front face view, or outer face view, of 'a clasp or buckle organized and constructed according to the invention and mounted upon and connected with a belt; Fig. 2 is a rear, or inner face View of the same; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same, taken on the line 3 3, Fig. 2; Fig. t is a transverse sectional view, taken upon the line 4 4, Fig. 3, and looking in the direction of the appended arrow; the showing in this figure being turned into a position at an angle of ninety' degrees to that shown in Fig. 3, and, Fig. 5 is an isometric view of a modified form of construction of' a feature of the invention shown in Fig. 3, they same being shown in a position thereverse 'of that of the corresponding feature shown vin Fig. 3.

Corresponding parts in all the figures are designated-bythe same reference characters.

Referring with particularity to the drawing, the improved clasp or buckle therein Specication of Letters Patent.

Application led May 5, 1910.

Patented Oct. 18, 1910.

Serial No. 559,625.

shown as embodying the invention comprises two members or parts, A and B respectively, and a member' C which is adapted for use in substitution for the member B. The said members A and B are shown as respectively applied to the end portions a and b of a belt shown fragmentarily in the drawing, the member' C being also shown as attached to the end portion in Fig. 5, for use in substitution for the member B. The members A and B include or are provided with interlocking elements, c and Z respectively, the member C having a similar element Z for co-action with the element c. The member c is pivotally mounted upon a body c included within the member A; and the member Z is shown in Fig. 3 as detachably connected with the belt end b by holding means f; whereas in Fig. 5 the member d is shown as permanently connected with the belt end Z2 by holding means g.

h designates holding means for connecting member A with the belt end a in position of relative adjust-ment of the same; such holding means h being connected in common formation with the element c.

The body e preferably comprises a plate or shield 6 which may be given a longitudinal curvature proper to cause it to conform to the line of extension of the belt upon which the clasp or buckle is mounted, when said belt is placed around the body of the wearer. The particular conformation of said shield or plate will, it is to be understood, be predetermined by the nature of the service in which the belt and the clasp or buckle thereon are to be employed. The outer or front face of the plate or shield 6 may be ornamented in any preferred and suitable nfanner, an example of which is disclosed in Fig. 1. The plate or shield 6 is -provided with spaced lateral flanges 7, both directed rearwardly from the plate or shield substantially rectangularly and adjacent to corresponding ends of said flanges the latter are connected by a cross-bar 8 which bridges the space between the flanges and connects the outer edge portions thereof. The opposite end portions of the flanges 7 are connected by a pin or bar 9 upon which is pivotally mounted the element c, the latter consisting of a metallic tongue or plate 10 one end of which is formed into a knuckle 11 which pivotally embraces the pin or bar 9, and the other or outer end of which is provided with a curved or angular lip l2,

said lip 12 being directed away from the plate or shield 6. Formed upon or. connected with the tongue or plate 10 and"projecting from the face thereof and nex-tad-Avv jacent to the plate or shield 6, is a stud 13 suitably proportioned to enter andl beac.- commodatedY by any one of the ordinary belt holes 14 formed in the-endportion a' of the belt, and constituting the holding means-h;- The-element Zfconaprisesalplateor= tongue 15 one end i of,r which is` provided withears. l'projecting from the face thereof'which is-:directedf away'` from, theplateI or` shielda 6; the-ears116;v being-formed for, projection through l suitable openings c in thieend portionb ofthe belt, andbei-ng pro. vidediw-ith-transverse holes.or: openings 17' for the receptiony of-` acotterfpin 18, on

brought: substantiallyu-pv to` the end ofU the nier-nnery A*- at which the crossfbar.- 8"- is disposed; the tongue, 15 may lie'- be tweenthencross-ba-r 8-1 and the fbelt end a, whichl -latter will lie directlyzfrearwardly: of the plate or shield 6,A andso-thfatiV the ele-- ment 2- di may coen-gage with theelem-env c. Toy thelatter' end; the plate ortongue 15 is provided 1 with. f a. transverse elongated slot 19 -for- `the reception oflthe lip 12 -upon the plate or tongue 10; and the plate lortongue 15T-is, furthermore possessediof an-f inherent spring,l quality,- and'1 is Avformed with alongitudinal curvature-,- so that th'elouterend p or tion thereoffrides over-the lip `-12,' when-the element cl is passed between the -bel-t end i a and the cross-bar-B, causing--the-automatic i inter-'locking -of fthe elements 0.- and d! Eurtherm-ore, said-elements maybe disengaged one v fromthe other.-l bythepassage-- of fr thethumb -or finger-behind the-outerfendlo-f the plate or.- tongue 15, between said i outerl end f andthe plate or tongue-1),v increasing-the longitudinal curvatureof` or bowing. the platey or; tongue -15 free -fromthe lip 12-. As shown,l the belt enda norm-ally extends directly rearwardlyor= behind the plate4 or,

shield '6,v and betweenL thefsaine andl the plate-l or.- tongue 10,- andf overlaps theextreme endportion-of the-beltgfend-'fbik The total operative length of-*the-belt, or-l the deg-reeof overl-ap off-the endfpoI-"tions-aff and' ZJ thereof, is determined vin accordance-with the adjustment of the member'Ar upon-the belt end fa; the member-A and the-bel-t: end f a being -maintained l' in position of 2' relative-n adjustment bythe disposition -ofthe stud-13 in -the proper-belt'hole- 14. And the member A is' freed from the beltE end ci` to -enable such relative adj ust-ment, by pi-votally swinging the tongueor plate -10 constituting the Ithe plate 15, with the-beltf endab, comprisestin` element c upon the pin or bar 9, so as to re- A,lease the stud. 13 from the belt hole 14 'within which it lies; the position of said tongue or plate 10 resultant upon said pivotal movement vbeing shown in dotted lines.` in Fig. 3.

Referring to Fig. 5, the holding means g showntherein as permanently connecting element Z consisting of the tongue or tegral Q ears 20 -proj actin-g, laterally; from the vplate.-er1-tongue:15 andi caused to embrace the-edge portions-offthebelt.: end* bf, underv coinpression-;v together with integral; serra tions-211i formed uponth'e--inner endof the plate.VY or:- tongue. 15,1.- and i forced into the belt end b.

The-holding means f arey preferably: em-

ployedi whenfi the. clasp.or= buckle isI to f. be

used inzcon-nection with womensbelts, sashes and' slmllar artic-les of. wearingy apparel, winch mayV`v be readily interchanged, as desired, in the'selection-.ofithe-same accordingI towstyle, design or-colon; whereas the holdlng.v` means gli arepreferably-1y employed: in connection with belts: constituting,- portions of? male attire. and of?y themoredurable materials, such as leather and canvas- The use; of fthe-holding means-f, permitting -ready detachmentv ofthel membery -B from the belt; also enables-fthe:` wearer; to `interchangeably` user al numbervofbnclles o-rvclasps embed ing the invent-ion,y which may. be variouslyv d esidgned,v l constituted f or ornamented, as:V desire It is manifests that@ when the xbelt, orf-other article-,to-,w-lriclrthe cla-'sp .or buckle is apY plied is fitted i to the-body of,- th-e-lwearer, or otherwisedisposedf in position of service, the-onlyoutwardlyf. exposed portion thereof consists-ofthe;shield or plate, 6, the wearing parts off th'eclasp. 0rbuckle, namely the inter-locking elements c and d, and the holdingf meansk L- andl. orV g, bei-ng, arranged rearwardly= or inwardly of? the pla-teor shield and f the strap rendsJ It'v will furthermore-be-moted that..the-ends-ofthef-strap -or bel-t, orf-other dev-ice,- are-Inaintained'inflat form-ation, without any distortionsuch? as accompanies; theemployment of the ordinaryb-uckle tongue, and the life-ofzthe- -belt or strap; is therefore 1 extended! A1 particu-lar advantage attending the `u-se offtheiin-proved clasp Ior buck-le' consists inthefacility with which the inter-loeking members-.thereof-imay be -co-engaged, ordiseng-aged eaclr from-ftheother. To co-engage the -same--asset:` forth, all that: is necessary todo is to bring-the--b'eltfends-together, one

over -thf-fother, and pass the spring ton-gue 15 within the cross-bar, 8 until the lip 12 `venters'the slot` 19; and to` disengage the tongue 10 and the spring tongue 15, at the outer end of the latter, so as to bend the spring tongue 15 suliciently to release the lip 12 therefrom.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to Secure by Letters Patent A clasp or buckle, comprising a shield 0r plate provided with a rearwardly disposed bar spaced therefrom, holding means for connecting the shield or plate with a strap or other device, inter-locking elements, one of said inter-locking elements being conneeted with said shield or plate rearwardly thereof, and holding means for connecting the other of said inter-locking elements with a strap or other device; one of said. interlocking elements consisting of a spring GEORGE P. SPANGLER.

Witnesses:

RAYMOND I. BLAKESLEE, H. O. BowsER. 

